Developing International Understanding with Communication Skills
Authored by: Santiago Pinto and Daniela Ángel from Colegio Los Nogales, Bogotá, Colombia
Summary
Round Square explorers recognise that different communication methods, styles and practices are appropriate to different nationalities and cultures and can tailor their approach to suit. They are interested in ideas and influences from other countries and are ready to share their own ideas through a mutually respectful exchange.
Introduction
Profound and lasting communication must transcend the verbal. In order to initially achieve this, the differences and diversity that exist between the communicators must be understood. Prior to engaging in effective communication, one must be open and honest regarding their prejudices and biases. Communicators must also possess the ability to internalize what the other is expressing. This implies “listening” and not just “hearing” what the other is conveying. Furthermore, this entails the capacity to understand the other through his or her specific place and time – through his or her lens. Our objective through the Round Square ideals is to “break barriers and build bridges”. Thoughtful communication is the first step toward achieving this objective.
Analysis
Communication is part and parcel to the human social experience. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, communication is “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behaviour”. Human societies and civilizations across place and time have developed various forms of communications, much of which go beyond the verbal. In the 21st Century globalized world, it is imperative that explorers recognize divergent forms of communication and that they place themselves behind the lens of the “other” so as to facilitate connections and trust.
Profound and lasting communication must transcend the verbal. In order to initially achieve this, the differences and diversity that exist between the communicators must be understood. Prior to engaging in effective communication, one must be open and honest regarding their prejudices and biases. Communicators must also possess the ability to internalize what the “other” is expressing. This implies “listening” and not just “hearing” what the other is conveying. Furthermore, this entails the capacity to understand the other through his or her specific place and time – through his or her lens. Our objective through the Round Square ideals is to “break barriers and build bridges”. Thoughtful and empathetic communication is the first step toward achieving this objective.
Twenty-first Century research has revealed that when people are confronted with cultures and ideas that differ from their own, the same mechanisms in the brain that bring about “fight or flight” responses are triggered. People shut down and can even become combative toward the “other”, whether the other be an individual, a society or a culture. Effective communication methods, and the understanding thereof, are intrinsic when it comes to breaking down these barriers. It all begins with making connections – showing that we have commonalities – that we are indeed from the same “tribe”. In doing so, these defence mechanisms become disengaged.
This is not always easy. When two individuals or two groups of people who are foreign to one another interact, the initial psychological and biological responses may be ones of fear, scepticism, retreat or aggression. When such reactions are emanating from all parties, finding a middle ground does indeed take work, understanding and cooperation. Olive branches must be extended, and this begins with forging bonds through mutually respectful communicative exchanges.
Another obstacle that we must overcome is one of preconceived ideas regarding the “other”. All humans, through both nurture and nature, are intrinsically “hardwired” with bias and prejudice. In truth, this is a survival mechanism. We tend to gravitate toward our own “tribes” – our specific comfort zones – and away from the “other” ones. We label and place people and groups in boxes. The further away that those people and groups are from our own comfort zones, the more simplistic and broad those labels become. This is not controversial, as we have less familiarity and information when it comes to those distant “others”. That said, when asked, many people deny that they possess elements of bias and prejudice as individuals. Furthermore, they tend not recognize it when it presents itself in their personal sphere. These labels are often seen as obvious “truths”. This lack of personal recognition and understanding only works to build walls when it comes to communication and reaching common ground.
People cannot possibly learn and understand the nuances of communication across all cultures and places. As such, it is more pragmatic to focus on empathy at an intellectual level. To put oneself in the shoes of the “other” – to place oneself behind the “other’s” lens – will break down the barriers that exist in all of us. Only when we start to drop our own defences can we truly connect with that which is foreign and different. Only then can communication begin to manifest itself in a profound and meaningful way.
Conclusion
It the responsibility of those who come from privilege – those of us that that make up the social majority – to build bridges in the 21st Century globalized world by opening the lines of communication. Those with the social advantages possess the political and economic capital to lay the foundations that will transcend borders and backgrounds. To these ends, it isn’t an issue of “ought” as much as it is an obligation and a charge. Fostering a culture of respect and deference is a luxury that those with excess can afford.
The paradigm of “us” and “them” has never been more prominent on the global stage as it is today. “Us” and “them” – or, perhaps more appropriately, “us” versus “them” – implies a breakdown in communication and communication methods. Even more troubling, it begs for this breakdown. Through this lens, the paradigm is transferred from an effect to a cause. How do we, as a global community, tackle this critical challenge? This is one of the significant questions of our time. Breaking barriers and building bridges starts with self-awareness, self-reflection and self-actualization. It continues with multiple lens initiatives and empathy, cultivated by a desire for respect and openness (even when faced with “foreign” customs and ideas). Such things, while simple to put on paper, take a lifetime. The seed needs to be planted, but growth continues and never stops. New challenges present themselves and new forms and methods, many unforeseen, become necessary to mend fences and forge connections. It is up to us, the young global citizens, to recognize our privilege and take up the responsibility to build a better planet – one that is befitting the multi-cultural, 21st Century globalized world.